Grifter gang's all here, deuxmoi exposed, Tiger Mom takedown 👀🍿🧃
Yep- Anna, Billy, Adam, and Martin are all up to something
Hi Wrecklings! Big week! We have a headline trifecta + 1 (quadfecta? superfecta?!) of some of the most famous scammers— Billy of Fyre Fest, faux-heiress Anna Delvey, WeWork’s Adam Neumann, and man-of-zero-morals Martin Shrekli!
“Pharma Bro Martin Shrekli is apparently on dating app Bumble just a DAY after getting out of prison for fraud - despite his ex-Bloomberg reporter flame Christie Smythe saying 'she'd love to see him'“- Dead serious when I say that Shrekli popped up as a suggested match on my OkCupid around 2013, I regret I didn’t save those screenshots of his profile.
“Billy McFarland’s Duped Fyre Fest Investor Thinks It’s a ‘Joke’ He Left Prison Early”- I mean, same.
“Adam Neumann’s blockchain-based redemption story now sponsored by a16z”- 70 Million. Dollars. In. Funding. To the guy who inspired a podcast called WeCrashed. How. Why.
“I Have Seen the Death of Culture, and It Was Anna Delvey’s Art Show”- With these grifters commercializing their notoriety after shamelessly scamming, I’m suspicious this is going to be seen as an aspirational career route for anyone with the right questionable morals. Think: influencer but villainous. I’d write a think-piece on this, if I were a smidge less lazy.
“Influencer Accused of Setting Forest Ablaze for TikTok Video Currently Under Investigation”- Good and bad news: it’s not just Americans setting forest fires!
“‘Literally the most legit scam I have ever seen’: Woman says she got ‘job scammed’ after applying for job on Upwork, going through lengthy interview process”- As if job-hunting wasn’t difficult enough, sophisticated scammers have entered the process.
A juicy press release worth reading- While shady C-Suites pull this behavior all the time, the decision for an investor to write a 🔥 press release calling them out is wild. The release was shared in a Public Relations-execs FB group and one publicist commented, “Fascinating. S##t-posting at the corporate level feels new to me.”
Also on the subject of cringe-PR- I *literally cringed* at Audi (rightfully) tossing M&C Saatchi under the bus and then M&C Saatchi’s horrendously bad response.
“deuxmoi's digital trail”- So much for anon plz, this piece is blowing up the internet, thanks to some light (but diligent) internet sleuthing. P.S. curious about who authors these newsletters? Oh hi, it’s me!
“Two-Card Monte: Why Mastercard And Visa Rarely Shut Down Scammers Who Are Ripping Off Consumers”- Interesting that in our piece on The CEH scandal, Amex was praised a few times for quickly reimbursing folks for their purchases.
“Terra Newell of ‘Dirty John’ Took to TikTok to Share Her Trauma. Then She Became a Meme”- As an OG Dirty John listener, I’m in awe of Terra’s survival story but the nonchalant/flippant delivery of this TikTok doesn’t do her any justice.
🔏 “At Cameo, Boom Times Give Way to Sharp Sales Slowdown”- This one’s behind The Information’s paywall, but it’s an interesting read for those with access. Never a great sign when part of your business strategy is recruiting famous, skeevy ex-convicts to your platform.
“It Sure Sounds Like Elon Musk Decided to Become a Republican After Finding Out a Story About Him Allegedly Exposing Himself to a Flight Attendant Was Going Public”- Like a bunch of Teslas, Elon’s reputation is quickly burning to the ground. It also feels like a good time to resurface this Marie Claire profile of Elon’s first wife and their turbulent relationship.
“How 'Australia's Tinder Swindler' used women as 'cash cows' to fund his luxury lifestyle before his own daughter exposed him and his lies”- It’s infuriating that I know legions of successful single women while men like this just leach off. Poll here— should we keep including Tinder Swindler-esque stories like this?
“Kellyanne Conway tears into reporter Taylor Lorenz for sharing 15-year-old daughter Claudia's TikToks criticizing Trump and slams people who called child protective services on their family”- My hunch is that if the TikToks hadn’t exposed the insanity of this family, Kellyanne would have had zero issue with them being amplified.
“The Tiger Mom and the Hornet’s Nest: For two decades, Amy Chua and Jed Rubenfeld were Yale Law power brokers. A new generation wants to see them exiled.”- This is a longform article that’s full of scandal for those that admittedly have a longer attention span than I do.
More Serious Stories
We realize some of these can be triggering for some readers, so feel free to skip!
“Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy: Our Maternal Death Rates are Only Bad if You Count Black Women”
“At Wells Fargo, a Quest to Increase Diversity Leads to Fake Job Interviews”
“Lara Logan, Once a Star at CBS News, Is Now One for the Far Right”
“Influencers Are Posting Potentially Dangerous Baby Formula Recipes, Despite Safety Warnings”
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P.S. While we’re obsessed with these stories, we don’t endorse any of these insane behaviors. 💋